Concentrator



A 1954 w. w.- BLACKBURN CONCENTRATOR Filed March4, 195s INVENTQ? w.w.BLACKBURN ATTQRNEY Patented Aug. 3, 1954 UNITED STATES ATENT OFFICECONCENTRATOR Wayne W. Blackburn, Clcarwater, Fla.

Application March4, 1953,- Serial No. 340,345

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to placer mining and more particularly toequipment for handling various types of earth in which are locatedvarious kinds of deposits, including gold and other precious metals.

Equipment heretofore employed not only has been bulky and unwieldy, buthas been difiicult to transport and use and has not afforded protectionto the hands of the user.

It is an object of the invention to provide a simple, inexpensivekit-consisting of the necessary parts, housed in a single casing, aportion of which, can be used for a camp stool, and in which kit thenecessary tools may also be con Figs. 2 and 3, perspective views of thetop and.

base portions of the kit respectively;

Fig. 4, atop plan view of the transversely curved perforated sieve;

Fig. 5, a top plan view of the grill or rifile;

Figs. 6 and 7 top plan and perspective views.

respectively of a pair of pan used for the collection of the deposits,and

Fig. 8 a plan view of tools used in connection with the kit.

Briefly stated, the invention comprises a concentrator or prospectorskit consisting of a top and a base adapted to be fastened together bymeans of a hasp, a staple and a lock and with a pair of handles, one foruse in carrying the structure and the other in shifting or moving thetop when it is used as a stool.

Hooks and eyes may be employed for connection of the parts at oppositecorners of the top and base. When the top and base are separated andused the top is usually placed beside the base for convenience. A sieveor strainer is contained on the base and into which the soil of the panis placed. This sieve has openings therein and an outwardly turnedflange along the length of each side by means of which the sieve isupported on the base. A frame fills the base from side to side and endto end such frame consisting of a plurality of longitudinal andtransverse rifile bars so'that'when the soil passes through the sievewith the water, it can be received throughthese bars and held for atime.

The base is preferably provided with a reinforcing transverse end barextending from side to side across the upper portion of its dischargeend. Thisadds strength to the base, but leaves a relatively wide-openspace beneath the same.

Pans of any desired size or shape as illustrated in Figs. 6 and 7 may beemployed, such pans being relatively shallow and being adapted to beapplied beneath the discharge end of the base. After a substantialdeposit is accumulated between the rifile bars of the grill the frameisraised to discharge the major portion of such deposit. Tools 21, 28,Hand 30, such as those shown in Fig. 8 may be employed for supplying thesoil into'a sieve, for breaking up rock or the like and for agitatingthe material 'in the sieve.

. to be' fastened together by means of 'a hasp I2,

,as a seat so that the person using the kit may have ready access to thebase.

In order to more securely fasten the base and top together, hooks I1 andeyes may be employed for connecting the parts at opposite corners of thetop and base.

Within the base is located a sieve or strainer I9 into which soil to bepanned is placed and over which water is caused to be washed so that thelighter constituents can be carried away and the heavier constituentsretained along the floor of the base.

Th sieve 89 has an outwardly disposed flange 20 along each side and bymeans of which it may be supported on the base. The sieve is providedwith openings 2| through which the water and panned earth drop into aframe covering the floor of the base from side to side and end to end,such frame being composed of longitudinal bars 22 and transverse bars23. The transverse bars 23 have their ends offset so that a circuitousor 3 serpentine path of travel is provided from one end of th floor ofthe base to the other, such transverse bars being in contact with thefloor of the base and the longitudinal bars being located upon the same.

When in use the device is preferably disposed in an inclined positionwith the discharge end at slightly lower than the opposite end of thebase so that the water and the lighter constituents may readily passfrom the discharge end of the device. Accordingly, the sieve has one end19' closed and such closed end is in the lower position.

Th base is preferably provided with a transverse end bar 24 connectingthe sides across the upper portion of the discharge end thus addingstrength but permitting free discharge from the device. As illustratedin Fig. 2 of the drawing, the transverse end bar 24 may be provided withinterior shoulders 3i upon which the closed end of the sieve 20 issupported. Additionally, the base ll may b provided with spacedsupporting blocks 32 upon which the outermost slats 22 rest; thus theframe formed by the longitudinal bars 22 and transverse bars 23 isretained in proper position within the kit.

In the use of the devic the heavier constituents which accumulate on thefloor of the base may be discharged into one or more pans 25 or 26 ofany desired size and shape as illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7. Such pansbeing preferably relatively shallow for convenience and being adapted tobe placed beneath the discharge end of the base.

Tools such as a shovel 21, a hatchet 28, a hammer 29 and a fork 30, asillustrated in Fig. 8, may be employed during the use of the device.With these tools the soil may be placed into the sieve, the hatchet andhammer may be employed for breaking up deposits or the like, and thefork may be used for stirring or agitating the material in the sieve forseparating the constituents so that th lighter may be washed away andthe heavier and more valuable retained.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes maybe made in the invention without departing from the spirit and scopethereof and therefore the invention is not limited by that which isshown in the drawings and described in the specification but only asindicated in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A prospectors kit comprising a hollow base, a top encasing said base,and adapted to be used as a stool, a curved material receiving sievehaving openings therein and also having side portions adapted to restupon said base, said sieve having a closure at one end, a framecorresponding in length and breadth to said base and comprisingtransverse bars and longitudinal bars supported on said transverse bars,and with the latter alternately offset to provide a serpentine pathbetween and around the ends of said transvers bars from one end of thebase to the other, said base having an opening at one end along itsfloor and portions extending inwardly from the sides and providing acentral discharge way, means for fastening said top over said base toprovide a compact package, and a handle on said top by means of whichthe kit may be carried.

2. A prospectors kit comprising a hollow base, a top encasing said baseand adapted to be used as a stool, a curved material receiving sievehaving openings therein and also having side portions adapted to restupon said base, a frame corresponding in length and breadth to said baseand comprising transverse bars and longitudinal bars supported on saidtransverse bars, and with the latter alternately offset to provide aserpentin path between and around the ends of said transverse bars fromone end of the base to the other, means for fastening said top over saidbase to provide a compact package, and a handle on said top by means ofwhich the kit may be carried.

3. A prospectors kit comprising a hollow base, a top encasing said base,a curved material receiving sieve having openings therein and alsohaving side portions adapted to rest upon said base, said tray having aclosure at one end, a frame corresponding in length and breadth to saidbase and comprising transverse bars and longitudinal bars supported onsaid transverse bars, and with the latter alternately ofiset to providea serpentine path between and around the ends of said transverse barsfrom one end of the base to th other, said base having an opening at oneend along its floor and portions extending inwardly from the sides andproviding a central discharge way, means for fastening said top oversaid base to provide a compact package, and a handle on said top bymeans of which the kit may be carried.

4. A kit for separating minerals comprising a base structure having abottom, two sides and an open end, and a connection for the upperportions of the sides at said open end inwardly extending raisedportions at the open end of said base, a removable frame substantiallycorresponding in area to the area of said base, said frame havinglongitudinal and transverse rifile bars, certain of which are offset toprovide a circuitous and unobstructed path along a substantial portionof said base, and a transversely curved sieve correspondingsubstantially in length and width to the top of said base and having aclosure for the end of said pan located adjacent the open end of thebase.

No references cited.

